why do some specialties require such long hours

[johnster3982]

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after residency and you're full time doctor, why is it some specialties require such long hours? why can't they be structured as a shift schedule. emergency medicine does this right? so why not just divide day into 2 shifts and find enough doctors to fill out the week. why do we need a single doctor to work 70 hours a week?

 

[carrigallen]

A few potential reasons why a higher caseload is good:

1. You keep up with advances in the field, and your skills stay honed.
2. You can schedule procedures in tandem (ie cataract surgery on tuesday mornings, glaucoma on wednesdays, etc) for more efficiency.
3. You are a more valuable asset for your practice or group, which may translate into partnership.
4. You may become a local leader in field for certain procedures.
5. You receive more referrals, and may also collect more follow-up patients.
6. You stay on top of your paperwork during the downtime.

Just a few ideas.

 

[edmadison]

With some notable exceptions (like neurosurgery), once you are attending, you decide the hours you are going to work. Just find a practice to work in that meets your needs. Of course, to do this you may need to be flexible in where you are looking. The nice thing about medicine is that its high paying enough that you can work "part-time" and still make good money. Don't let people tell you that "X" specialty has a bad life style, unless you've talked to those practicing in the field. There is almost always a way! Most people work long hours in medicine because a) they're workaholics, b) they're avoiding there home, or c) they want the cash.

Ed

 

[pseudoknot]

after residency and you're full time doctor, why is it some specialties require such long hours? why can't they be structured as a shift schedule. emergency medicine does this right? so why not just divide day into 2 shifts and find enough doctors to fill out the week. why do we need a single doctor to work 70 hours a week?

One reason why EM, anesthesia, and so forth are different is that unlike most specialties, there is no need for continuity of care.

 

[chameleonknight]

One reason why EM, anesthesia, and so forth are different is that unlike most specialties, there is no need for continuity of care.

Exactly! I was talking to an OB-GYN about this, and she said that even in her field you can make it "lifestyle" you just sacrifice some quality of care and patient contact. For example, if 14 obs get together and share call, that's pretty cush...but you have to decide if you want to come in and deliver your own patients. If you do, that's great, but it also means more work; personally, I also believe this is better for the patient, i.e. continuity of care.

Heck, just do EM if you really like shiftwork. Its fun, flexible, and profitable.